A Wink is a Wonderful Thing

The other day I was out shopping and found myself in WalMart behind a mother with several little kids, one of them a toddler girl sitting in the shopping cart. When the little girl looked up at me I winked at her and her face assumed a delighted look before she glanced away. Then, until they left, she would glance shyly back at me.

Having elicited such a wonderful reaction from the little girl, it got me thinking for a moment about how great a wink is. I make it a point to wink at little kids around me when they look at me. There’s just something wonderful about a wink.

Think about those times when you were a kid that your dad or grandpa or uncle winked at you. At that time, they were infinitely more wise than you were, yet they would condescend to come down and share a little intimate joke just between the two of you. They would wink at you.

I have a friend who often winks at me when we’re sitting across from each other. It usually goes something like this: she winks at me, short pause, I wink back, she giggles, I laugh, we both crack up and no one else has any idea what is going on. Quite a happy little series of events.

There are many wonderful facial motions that one can make. Raising one eyebrow, pursing my lips, and grinning extravagantly are some of my other favorites. But for sheer subtlety imbued with meaning, the wink takes it all.

So, go find someone you care about and wink at them. And don’t forget to wink at all the little kids!

;)